Concrete Agreed Records Now Exchanged Regarding the Ani Bridge, Says Mirzoyan

Armenia and Turkey are now exchanging specific records regarding the historic Ani Bridge. This was announced today by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during a meeting of the National Assembly's standing committee on foreign relations.

The head of the foreign affairs agency reminded that Yerevan and Ankara had reached an agreement on the joint restoration of the Ani Bridge. “Now specific records are being exchanged precisely regarding the Ani Bridge to see how this work can be organized in the most optimal way,” noted Mirzoyan.

Regarding the agreement to open the land border for citizens of third countries, the foreign minister emphasized that partial opening has not yet been accomplished. “Although I had the opportunity to reaffirm this agreement with the new minister,” said Mirzoyan, adding that further details would follow.

Following the meeting of Armenian and Turkish envoys Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç in June 2022, an agreement was reached to open the land border for citizens of third countries as soon as possible. However, during this period, the border has only been opened once, and that was for trucks carrying humanitarian aid sent by the Armenian government to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey.

Days ago, Mirzoyan stated in an interview with Anadolu Agency in Antalya that there are ongoing communications within the framework of the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, which ensure a positive dynamic. “Armenia sincerely wishes for state borders to be opened as soon as possible, for diplomatic relations to be established, and for connections between the two peoples and cultures to be expanded,” Mirzoyan stated, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.